They say that a surge of adrenaline can imbue a person with courage during the times they must protect the ones they love. Latent potential erupts from within, giving them inhuman strength they never knew they had, a strength that they may not be able to summon for merely themselves.

Jane does not remember.

But Maura does.

XXXX

Panic.

Sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety, often causing wildly unthinking behavior.

Maura pictures the words flatly printed on bottom of the yellowing page. For a moment, she is nine, and she has taken on the task of reading the entire dictionary after devouring every other book in the house.

From the Greek panikos, originating from the god, Pan, who was believed to induce this frenzied state.

Her rapid breathing calms until panic merely becomes a word printed on a page, a word that easily gets lost in a sea of other meaningless letters strung together.

Her body is still numb, but as she focuses on taking long, even breaths, Frost's blurry form hovering above her, she begins to asses the damage done to her body. Her shaking hand finds her wounded neck; though though the flow of blood has seeped onto the material of her blouse, she knows that it is only a superficial cut. The harm is minimal, and she can already tell the blood is beginning to clot.

"You okay, Doc?" It takes Frost's words a moment to penetrate through the invisible barrier surrounding her mind. She manages a nod, her senses slowly sharpening. Across the room, she hears a muffled sob.

Jane.

The panic returns.

XXXX

"Doc...you should sit down. Dr. Isles!"

She ignores Frost's words, her legs trembling terribly as she leans against the side of the gurney for support. "Jane," she rasps, her lips dry and her throat tight.

She feels Frost's hand grab her elbow just before she falls. "Please sit down."

She bites her lip. "Jane...I need to...Jane," she mutters futilely, tears profusely spilling from her eyes once again.

"Korsak's taking care of her," Frost gently soothes, attempting to lead her back to the gurney.

"Please," Maura begs, her words a small whimper as she steadies herself, feeling much more alert as she can finally focus her vision across the room. Korsak has sat Jane down on the floor. She rocks back and forth in a methodical way as she stares at the body of the man who has relentlessly hunted her.

She's in shock, and Maura knows the repetitive movement is her body's way of calming her. Frost supports Maura's elbow, no longer protesting as she struggles to reach Jane.

"Jane," she mutters again, crying harder as she falls to her knees in front of her best friend.

"I got her," Korsak tells her gently. "You should go lie down until the ambulance gets here, Dr. Isles."

But Maura shakes her head furiously, planting herself next to Jane as she dares to reach out and touch her shoulder softly. Jane flinches, but Maura does not remove her hand, instead beginning to rub her arm, letting Jane know that she is not alone. After a moment, Jane pulls her eyes away from the body, instead locking her gaze with Maura's. She whimpers. Maura moves closer.

"I have her," Maura is finally able to say. "You two should take care of the bodies," she suggests to Frost and Korsak. "I have her."

Korsak hesitates for a moment, but Frost nods and helps him to his feet. Maura scoots closer, enveloping Jane in her arms. "I have you," Maura addresses Jane for the first time. Jane nods, letting out a quivering breath as her head falls against Maura's chest.

Maura has never found herself to be an overly comforting person. Her own parents were never warm toward her, and displays of affection are sometimes hard for Maura to express. But she holds Jane against her, moving her fingers through Jane's tangled hair without a even a hint of hesitation. Her mind tells her its instinct.

But her heart calls it love.

XXXX

Her neck has scabbed over by the time the reach the ER. Nevertheless they have cleaned and dressed her wound with a thin bandage. Maura sits beside Jane's gurney off in a curtained section, wringing her hands together-another coping mechanism to deal with anxiety, and Maura gladly gives into the vice, welcoming any sort of natural relaxant her body offers her.

Jane has fallen into a restless slumber after receiving a dose of morphine, an offer extended to Maura as well, but she opted to refuse. Jane's body needs sleep to recover from the trauma, and Maura has a surprise party to help with.

"You know, Dr. Isles, you don't have to come." Mrs. Rizzoli pulls back the curtain as she enters, a pastry from the hospital cafeteria in her grasp. "In fact, we're thinking about canceling Jane's party all together," she sighs, looking disappointed, but an expression of sympathy takes its place as she glances at her daughters motionless body.

"She should wake up soon," Maura answers her unasked question. "Sleep is just the body's natural way of healing."

Mrs. Rizzoli sighs again, standing beside Maura as she tucks her hair behind her ear. "She's just been through so much-I'm just glad that bastard is gone for good. Janie can't deny she's a hero anymore."

Maura manages a slight smile. "She saved my life."

Mrs. Rizzoli places a hand on Maura's shoulder. Her touch is comforting, and Maura's mind flashes to the mother she always wishes she had.

"Oh!" Mrs. Rizzoli speaks suddenly, causing Maura to flinch in surprise. "I almost forgot-I got this for you." She hands Maura the sticky cinnamon bun. "A sweet treat always makes me feel just a little bit better."

Tears prick the corners of her eyes. "I'll meet you over at Jane's place in a little."

Mrs. Rizzoli fights a smile, and Maura knows she's glad to have her approval. No matter how much Jane complains about her hovering, Maura knows that Mrs. Rizzoli just wants to show her children how much she loves them in the best way she knows how.

Jane stirs, and Maura instinctively reaches for her hand, the texture from the scar on her palm reminding her just how brave Jane truly is.

"Jane is lucky to have a friend like you, Dr. Isles," Mrs. Rizzoli tells her, grabbing her coat and stepping back behind the curtain.

"No," Maura whispers, despite Mrs. Rizzoli's absence. She looks down at her hand intertwined with Jane's. "I'm the lucky one."

XXXX

"Ma, I'll be fine," Jane herds her mother out of the house with a tupperware container filled with leftover pony cake. Merely hours later, Jane is back to her good old self.

"Jane, really, I don't mind staying," Mrs. Rizzoli continues to ramble, though she is already halfway out the door.

"I'll take care of her," Maura mouths with a wink, earning a satisfied smile from Mrs. Rizzoli. She mutters a few more 'happy birthdays' and 'call me if you need anythings' before Jane slams the door shut, falling back against the couch with a groan.

"What a day." Jane closes her eyes, running her hand across her forehead, beginning to absentmindedly pick at her steri-strips.

Maura joins her on the couch, resting a hand against Jane's knee. "Don't take those off yet," she warns. "You'll make the scarring worse."

Jane scowls, but she lowers her hand and opens her eyes. She pats Maura's hand, surprising her with a smile. "Thank you, Maura."

Maura cocks her head in confusion. "Why are you thanking me? I didn't realize the idea of scarring bothered you so much. But since you don't wear concealer, I can see why that could become a potential issue after all."

"Maura, Maura," Jane begins to laugh, sitting up and letting her head fall against Maura's shoulder.

Maura blushes slightly, immediately defending herself. "What? I was merely stating an obvious fact in question to your previous statement."

"Oh, Maura," Jane sighs, brushing Maura's hair back from her shoulder. "Thank you for not dying today."

Maura lets her own head rest against Jane's. "I think I should be the one thanking you."

Jane is silent for a moment. "You know, I can't really remember what happened...it all happened so fast. I-I couldn't even think. Hoyt's dead," Jane pauses for a moment. Maura arms snake around her in a protective manner, reminding her that she does not need to handle this alone. "I killed Hoyt. And I can't even remember doing it."

Maura's cheek brushes against Jane's hair as she speaks slowly. "You were very brave, Jane. For me, and for yourself. That is all that really matters."

XXXX

"You don't have to stay, Maura. Just because you told my mother you'd take care of me doesn't make you obligated to spend the night." Jane says as she sits on the edge of her bed, taking off her shoes and glancing up at Maura. "You've had a long day, too, and you should get to sleep in your own bed. Besides, I can finally get my first decent night sleep in ages because I know for sure I won't wake up to find Hoyt standing over me with a knife," she tries to joke, but Maura can see the panic from earlier today flash in her eyes.

"I really don't mind, Jane," Maura assures her. "Unless you'd prefer that I left."

"No, no, that's not what I meant," Jane quickly replies, relieving Maura. The truth is, she doesn't want to spend tonight alone.

Jane rummages through her messy drawers, earning a couple disapproving tuts from Maura regarding her organizational habits. She grabs a baggy t-shirt for herself and tosses another in Maura's direction.

As Maura quizzically looks at the garment, Jane throws her clothes into the hamper, tugging her shirt over her head. "I know it doesn't have ruffles, but I promise it's clean." Jane rolls her eyes.

Maura blushes again, carefully removing her own clothes, feeling slightly self-conscious as she feels Jane's eyes on her as changes. "How do I look?" she asks, looking down at the formless t-shirt that reaches her thighs.

"It's a good look for you, Maura," Jane winks as she pats the pillow beside her. "I don't know about you, but I was ready to crash about six hours ago."

Maura crawls into bed as Jane turns off the light, the silence settling around them. Jane shifts, and Maura turns to her side, pulls her knees to her stomach. Curled up next to Jane, she can't help but to smile.

"Thanks for staying," Jane surprises her by speaking a moment later.

Maura scoots closer, placing her hand on Jane's side. "I didn't want to spend tonight alone either." She can feel Jane smile in the darkness.

Her leg brushes against Jane's as she repositions herself, a fluttery sensation filling her stomach.

"Hey, I said you could stay, but I didn't agree to cuddle," Jane whines, but she makes no effort to move away.

"Oh this is hardly cuddling, Jane," Maura states, rolling over and scooting herself into a spooning position. She grabs Jane's arm, draping it over her hip. "Now this is proper cuddling," Maura informs her.

"Go to sleep, Maura," Jane pretends to complain, but she only tugs Maura closer.

Maura nuzzles her head into the crook of Jane's neck, a grin tugging at her lips. She never expected to fall asleep smiling tonight.